Or for a trip to the ER…

Keywords: hand sanitizer, drug abuse, alcohol

You know you’re getting older when you catch yourself thinking/saying “What the hell is wrong with kids these days??!!!??” That’s where I’m at right now. I’m in near disbelief that we’re reporting that today’s youth is attempting to get drunk by consuming hand sanitizer.

The LA Times has reported that over the past several months six Los Angeles teens had to be taken to emergency rooms for treatment of alcohol poisoning after they ingested the easily accessible and inexpensive product. Despite it being a small number of reported cases, officials fear that this may become a trend with youth - the inexpensive and accessible nature of hand sanitizer paired with the ease of finding distillation instructions on the Internet makes for a dangerous combination.

As stated by the Times, “Some of the teenagers used salt to separate the alcohol from the sanitizer, making a potent drink that is similar to a shot of hard liquor.” How hard? Well the 62% ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer will create a 120-proof liquid. After cough syrup trended as a fast way to catch a high we’re all hoping this isn’t next on the horizon…